Inventory Control Manager

Job Title: Inventory Control Manager

Location: Gardena, CA

About the Company:

IPS Corporation is a global, market-leading provider of solvent cements, adhesives and specialized plumbing products. Founded in 1954 in Los Angeles, CA, IPS began by producing clear cements for laminating acrylic sheet for aircraft canopies. Today, IPS, with its three operating companies, has various manufacturing plants and distribution centers supporting sales to a diverse set of international markets.

About Weld-On:

Weld-On Adhesives, the largest subsidiary of IPS Corporation, is the pioneer and leading manufacturer of WeldOn solvent cements, primers and cleaners for PVC, CPVC, ABS and other plastic piping systems. Weld-On products are globally recognized as the premium products for joining plastic pipes and fittings and are used by professional installers around the world in a variety of applications such as, but not limited to, construction (residential & commercial), industrial (chemical process, water treatment, mining, etc.), irrigation (landscaping & agricultural) and others. Headquartered in California, Weld-On has state-of-the-art operations throughout the United States, as well as China, and a worldwide network of sales representatives and distributors.

About the Role:

Responsible for maintaining minimum and maximum direct material levels, through analytics, to ensure optimal manufacturing operations and forecasting supply chain needs. This role will have responsibility for identifying material gaps, causes for variances and recommended solutions with process controls and accountability measures. Success in this role requires strong analytical skills combined with lean experience and a bias for action working in a complex time sensitive manufacturing environment across multiple departments and warehouse facilities. This role requires a hands-on leader who can develop and deploy inventory control procedures, train direct reports and team members, ensure material level accuracy as well as sustainment of the material management process. Leadership in this role includes leading and designing effective and engaged cross-functional work teams. This role reports to the Plant Manager in Gardena, CA.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct daily inventory analysis and work order variances and bring resolution to discrepancies and problems. This includes reconciling discrepancies across multiple systems, locations, categories, and classes.

• Create and apply visual Gemba evidence and standard work for inventory tracking and status for core team members and decision makers.

• Analyze complex inventory issues involving real-time inventory levels.

• Develop strategic inventory management plans that improve inventory accuracy and warehouse management systems.

• Identify the root cause of inventory transaction errors and implement the appropriate countermeasures to prevent the issue from recurring. This includes documenting the inventory process and updating documents as required.

• Manage all daily cycle count and physical inventory activities for Operations while effectively leading and delegating tasks to the cycle count and warehouse teams at Gardena, Carson, and Compton locations.

• Coach and develop team members on proper processes, methodology, and tools.

• Fulfill the role of Subject Matter Expert (SME) to address all escalated inventory control requests for research, validation, and special projects.

• Define requirements and lead the implementation of inventory system improvements and develop new strategies to make inventory transactions more efficient.

• Act as the main point of contact and partner with Finance to lead both external and internal inventory audits.

• Responsible for perpetual inventory balances and ensuring finished goods inventory availability.

• Manage the collection and presentation of inventory metrics and KPIs utilizing daily management fundamentals and collaborate with Global Inventory Control team. Monitor KPI's, evaluate performance and service levels, drive improvements for critical measurements such as cycle count accuracy, overall inventory accuracy, and weeks-on-hand.

• Establish and track performance objectives and development plans for team members while providing coaching and mentoring when needed.

• Must adhere to all standard and specialized PPE requirements and ensure that team members are adhering to all safe work practices.

• Other duties as needed.

Education / Training / Certification:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college / university
• 5+ years of experience in inventory management
• 2+ years of management experience leading a team

Preferred:

• APICS certification
• 7+ years of experience in inventory management

Skills (Technical):

Required:

• Highly proficient using Microsoft Office including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

• Thorough understanding of Material Handling, Supply Chain, and Logistics processes

• Strong working knowledge and experience using MRP systems

Preferred:

• Experience working in JDE E1 and cycle count execution

• Familiarity using business system tools (i.e. lean, six sigma, etc.)

Skills (Interpersonal):

Required:

• Communication: Ability to effectively communicate tasks, changes, instructions, priorities, safety, project status, and other important messages.

• Organizational Skills: Strong attention to detail with the ability to effectively multitask.

• Ability to Influence: Ability to build trust and strong relationships across the team. This includes encouraging a continuous improvement mindset and fostering a highly engaged workplace where employees are developed and enabled to drive improvements.

• Ethics: Holds self and others accountable to high ethical standards.

Physical Requirements:

Required:

• Must have the ability to sit and stand for long periods.

• Must be able to lift and move items or boxes up to 30 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations may be extended to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function.

Salary Range: $78,000 - $133,000